


The Demon of Bai-Jing

by boatsaplenty



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Dark, Mind Rape, Multi, Mythology References, Possession, Psychological Trauma, Spirits, Violence, this isn't nice at all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-05-13 02:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19241857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boatsaplenty/pseuds/boatsaplenty
Summary: The gaang makes a pitstop in a misty village on the eastern fringes of the Fire Nation in search of a place to lay low in preparation for Sozin’s Comet, only to discover a people living under the curtain of a monstrous force of nature. What initially appears to be no more than an imbalance needing correcting reveals an ancient tradition steeped in blood, and a centuries old pact that if left unchecked, will claim the life of one of the Avatar’s companions.And if the power awakened on that island is not stopped, the world itself will feel the effects.





	1. Footsteps

 

_“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”_  
― Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

* * *

 

 

Bai-Jing was a small, mountainous isle located on the eastern reaches of the Fire Nation, and just isolated enough that no other land could be seen from its shores in any direction. The island’s craggy shores and uneven terrain made it a poor choice for a military outpost, so as a result, Bai-Jing was only inhabited by a small collection of communities. 

When Zuko pointed it out on the group’s map, he added, “Actually, not a lot of people seem to know that this place even exists. It never came up in any of the history I was taught growing up either. I only really know about because I passed nearby it when I was um… traveling the world with Uncle. Neither of us were really interested in making landfall at the time though.”

Sokka adjusted the map thoughtfully, looking up at the dark shape approaching on the horizon that signified their destination. It was an easy spot to miss even on paper; the little dot that marked the island was very close to a longitude indicator, so he hadn’t originally noticed it was there. It sure didn’t look special in person: dark mountains, dirt, volcanic rock, and smudges of dull green that might be a decent-sized forest. 

That wasn’t exactly a bad thing for a hiding place; the less interesting of a place it was, the easier it would be to keep their heads down and wait. 

“That’s good enough for me,” Toph shrugged, clearly not caring one way or another about where they set up camp. Not that it was a surprise really. It wasn’t like  _ she  _ was going to complain about what it looked like. 

They landed on a more isolated portion of the island, under the cover of trees and a sloping cliff face that cast a wide shadow over them. The group quickly set to work setting up a campsite, while Appa settled in to rest from the long flight. After so long flying, it was good to touch down. 

The next thing on the agenda was cooking food and restoring their energy. It wasn’t dark enough out to settle in for the night, and they had yet to really scout out the terrain. 

“Aww man!” Sokka exhaled heavily, peering into their supplies to find that their stock of food was dangerously low, barely enough for the night and in desperate need of restocking. “We’re almost out already! I wasn’t looking forward to scrapping by again…” He sighed, handing the bag over to Suki when she gestured for it.

Zuko glanced over at the group while adjusting his pack, “Is this normal for you guys?”

For a moment there was just a moment of silence. Katara took pity on him and decided to speak up, “Well at least it’s better than that time that Sokka tried to scavenge us on a handful of nuts.”

“Hey, I was doing my best!” Sokka shouted defensively, gesturing wildly. He calmed down, watching as Suki was trying to scrape together a dish from what remained of their supply, taking her turn on the cooking. There wasn’t much there, but they’d gotten by on less before. Still, best to find a way to refill their supply, “We should make a supply run into the village, preferably tonight so we don’t wake up without food for breakfast. Someone there must be selling some food, and we can scout out the area at the same time.”

Toph leaned back against the rock wall behind her, “I think I’ll sit this one out. We’ve been flying all day, and I’m not interested in wandering around another rinky-dink town.”

Katara extended her hand for the rough dumpling Suki had whipped up, munching into it contentedly. With her free hand she pointed over to the Prince and spoke up between bites, “Zuko, you should probably stay here too for now. Maybe this place is out in the middle of nowhere, but they still might recognize you, and we don’t have another disguise.”

Zuko huffed and sank down next to their packs. He was a little disappointed after bringing the island up in the first place, but the explanation made sense. There was no question that Sokka was going; he was already writing down a list of things they might need, still trying to talk around the food he’d stuffed in his mouth. Suki was beside him, trying to tell him to slow it down a notch, just as much in regards to the food as his planning ahead. Aang was incredibly curious about what such a remote society was like, and was already interested in checking it out.

That would made four to enter the town and two to stay behind. 

Finishing up what brief planning they had, the group dug out the Fire Nation disguises took turns changing until everything was ready. In minutes, the gang (minus Toph and Zuko), “Don’t forget to pick up another pack while you’re out. The other one we’ve got is nearly worn through!” Zuko called back out. Sokka just waved a hand to acknowledge that he heard. 

Soon enough, they had begun their short hike to the village, taking in the scenery. A low-hanging mist was floating over everything in sight, disturbed only by the group’s footsteps like ripples through stagnant water. What hadn’t been immediately apparent from the sky was the thick, fertile soil that contrasted with the scraggly and starved-looking plant-life. There was life there, but little seemed to benefit from it. “This all looks so strange…” Aang murmured, tracing the overhanging branch of a dry, knotted tree, “The land looks alive, but the trees don’t.”

“Maybe there’s an upset spirit somewhere on this island,” Katara piped up. “On a place as out of the way as this, you never know what sort of problem could be that people just don’t see.”

“There’s an idea…” Aang said, scanning their surroundings thoughtfully. The rest of them knew from that one moment that the Avatar would be investigating that mystery before they left the island. The idea of a spirit in need was always a good inspiration to fulfill the Avatar’s obligations. And, as it was, it seemed like they’d have some time to kill to explore.

But that plan had to wait a bit, as the villages gates were in sight.

The whole of Bai-Jing village was secluded in a massive trench or crevasse of sorts cut into the rocky terrain, with curved cliffs overlooking the rear of the settlement much like the gang’s campsite. Even if it weren’t for the late hour and overcast skies, the town probably didn’t see a great deal of sunshine. In hindsight, that seemed a little bit odd for a Fire Nation village. 

The make of the homes and other buildings varied greatly. Nearer to the village gate, the houses were mostly plain wood with thatched roofs, simple and somewhat fragile. Further in though, the construction became more visibly sturdy, with stone and metal replacing wood entirely. And at the very rear, visible above the other buildings even from outside the gates, was a much larger, tiered structure (town hall, or maybe a temple with the architecture). Although they weren’t in the town proper yet, there was no one in sight, possibly because of the late hour. 

They were flying a banner above the town, a gray flag with a yellow nine-point star situated in the center. The meaning of that was unknown. 

As if that wasn’t enough to take in, there was something else strange. Just outside, on either side of the gate, were two stone pedestals. Each held a gleaming gray sphere, twinkling faintly. 

Aang, who was currently at the head of the group, froze in his tracks as soon as he neared them. As soon as he came within a foot of one of the spheres, they started to glow, emitting a muted white light. “What the–?” He jumped for a moment, then extended a hand to watch the glow brighten with his proximity. “Hey, guys, come look at this!”

“I don’t know, this is right up your alley. This seems like some spirity stuff to me,” Sokka shrugged, glancing at the object before turning his attention back to his list of supplies. 

“I agree, but it sure does look pretty,” Suki said, reaching out to touch the sphere, only to stop as the light quickly faded before she could get close enough. “What? That was strange, whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Curiously, Katara decided to try her hand at it. Like Aang, the object quickly lit up at her presence.

Sokka, watching out of the corner of his eye, huffed and snapped his list shut. “What did I say? Spirit stuff. I don’t know how it works, but I’m sure it’s reacting to the whole bending thing.” He walked passed them, stepping into the village, forcing the others to keep pace with him or be split up. “Why don’t we just hurry up and get this little trip over with before someone sees what just happened and decides to kick me and Suki out for not being prime tourist material.”

As they walked onward, Aang suddenly raised a finger, expression bright. “Wait, I think I know what those are!” He said, excited again. “I heard a story about them at the Southern Air Temple. I think that they were called...Soul Stones. They actually come from the Spirit World and they’re supposedly given to mortals by spirits to guide them through dark times. Because they’re like...little bridges to the Spirit World, they can sense the presence of benders around them. I heard that before the Air Temples were formed, my people–scattered around the world–used them to find each other, so they could band together and form their own homeland.” That was where his smile started to peeter out, “But they’re so rare that… I thought they’d all be long broken or stuck in a vault somewhere. Even back before...before I went to sleep, no one had heard of these things being around for several hundred years. This is a bit unexpected.”

Sokka’s brow rose, glancing behind them, “So if these rocks are so rare and special, then someone should be attending to them. Why are they out in the open like this?”

The young Avatar didn’t have an answer for that. He didn’t know why they were there either. He was quiet, thoughtful. Katara filled the silent air by placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort. 

“Guys, I don’t think that’s the only thing strange about this place,” Suki murmured, looking up and down the streets, “It’s so empty out here. Too empty.” She was right about that. While the group could spot a handful of people standing off in the shadows, there was no hustle or bustle. Even for how late in the day it was, it still seemed strange for things to be so quiet. 

It wasn’t until they reached the town center that they spotted a market, thankfully headed up by shopkeepers who could get what they needed. Very unfriendly shopkeepers at that. 

It was at that moment that Aang decided that before they left town, he was going to try to find out some information about the Soul Stones and try to commune with spirits in the area. With the strange appearance of the stones, as well as his noticing the odd state of the island’s plant life, he was determined to find out the reason behind it all. Katara instantly volunteered to tag along with him, not wanting to leave the boy alone to his investigations. 

Effectively split up for the moment, Sokka shouted after them as they left, “Don’t take too long! This isn’t time for a vacation, you two!” He sighed as they passed out of view, feeling antsier than usual. While the shopkeeper slowly gathered the things Sokka had pointed out on the list, the warrior himself kept shifting his weight from foot to foot, scanning the area.

“Is something going on, Sokka?” The Kyoshi girl interrupted his thoughts, “You’re even more on edge than you usually are.”

Sokka looked unsure, “I don’t know. Something about this place makes me uncomfortable, like there’s something in the air, or that we’re being watched.” Technically though they  _ were  _ being watched. A group of four foreign teenagers walking into town the way they did were guaranteed to draw some kind of attention from the locals. Suki didn’t point that out to him though. The natural sensation clearly wasn’t what Sokka was talking about. 

To be perfectly honest, Suki did kind of agree with him this time. Even if he had mellowed out since the last time they’d traveled together, Sokka was known among the group for his hyper-aware, near paranoia levels of caution. But in the town they found themselves now, even the Kyoshi warrior felt a tingling up her spine. 

Bai-Jing was, for lack of a better word, creepy. 

"Don't worry," She tried to cheer him up, "I don't think anyone is particularly interested in lingering around here. After we get our supplies and some rest, we’ll be out of here.” And however long it took for Aang to finish exploring, but she didn’t think it’d last long. “And y’know… with the way everyone here is acting, I think they’ll be glad to see us leave.”

Little did they know, there was a presence in Bai-Jing that was already watching their every move, and had no intention of letting them just walk away.

* * *

.

* * *

 

So soon after arriving in the marketplace for stock, someone had already informed the officials in the village temple that strangers had arrived in Bai-Jing. 

Unfamiliar foreigners were walking the city streets, all of them young. And, as the scout by the outskirts had pointed out, unusual enough to take note. 

Upon hearing the details, the head priest immediately knew what he had to do. 

He departed to the inner sanctum alone, locking himself inside and dousing the lights, leaving the room in darkness. The man went down on his hands and knees in a low bow of supplication, waves of prayer suffusing his thoughts.  _ ‘Oh Luminous One, your humble servant calls for your guidance. Please bless this mortal with your presence so that I may serve you.’ _ The priest repeated his verse again and again, patient yet simultaneously anxious at the same time.

His Lord arrived with a faint hiss like silk dragged across the floor, and a breeze that came from nowhere in the closed off space. “Speak,” A Voice called out to him.

It was difficult to define. It was at once both deep and feminine, smooth and confident. 

The priest knew his Lord was no human, he knew that. But the feeling of being addressed so shook him to his core at every individual meeting. He lifted his head just slightly, spying the formless shape of swirling gray that currently defined his master, “Bai-Jing is now playing host to a group of young visitors, my Luminous One, and at least four are within town at this moment.” 

There was no immediate answer from the darkness.

The man quickly realized he had to continue with the most important information, “I hope you’ll be pleased to learn that half of them are benders, and the other half, not.”

"Two? On this most holy of nights?" The Voice continued, excitement becoming visible in that incorporeal tone, "One for a sacrifice, and one for a witness. How perfect. The impending return of the comet brings many surprises."

"Shall I make ready the ceremony, Great One?" The priest asked, lowering his head down to the floor. Though he already knew the answer he would receive for such news. 

"Yes… Bring them to the temple. I will have my Sacrifice, my Witness, and at long last, my chains will be broken.

I will be free…"

 


	2. Cornered

 

_ Aang entered the Spirit Realm after he and Katara reached the outskirts of the village, calling over a deep state of meditation in order to pass beyond the veil. Katara stood next to him, guarding the Avatar's body while he started his investigation. The girl couldn't see the moment when Aang departed his body, but she looked to the sky and hoped that his feeling was more intense than the situation actually was. They just came here to lay low but…  _

_ Meanwhile, Aang drifted away from his body, exploring the island again through a spiritual lens.  _

_ However, he soon realized the nature of the land's sickness when he couldn't find a single spirit anywhere, not even on the other side of the veil. Bai-Jing was barren either way.  _

_ There was only one place on the entire island where he could sense what he thought was a spirit, a non-human presence: the temple at the far end of the village. It was strange and out of the ordinary for a spirit to live in a man-made building (at least in Aang's experience), and he thought that they preferred the natural outdoors instead.  _

_ Aang passed unseen beyond the villagers eyes as he made his way to the temple, looking it over. The building appeared strangely imposing with darkly sloped roofs and red-painted wood framework, and the architecture wasn’t like anything else he’d seen before. It wasn’t like the Sage’s shrine in the Fire Nation and the front door was carved with a relief of strange, canine creatures chasing each other’s tails with mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth. The entire building looked more expensive than any other structure in town, an Aang couldn’t but frown at the thought. Why would such a spiritual place be simultaneously so materialistic? It wasn’t normal.  _

_ He was struck by a wave of unsettled dread the moment he placed his hand on the door, intending on stepping through. Curiosity undeterred, Aang pushed through the feeling and phased through the door, entering the temple.  _

_ Muted light gleamed from golden candlesticks framing the entranceway, revealing a long path than opened up into a great prayer hall. White-robed figures knelt in supplication all along the main hall, all of them were as silent as the dead but mouthed unheard words. They faced a human-sized statue made entirely of a brilliant, opaque red gemstone–coral maybe.  _

_ The statue itself was...hard to face directly. Part of it resembled a woman’s figure, shapely and difficult to actually look at. But wrapped around the waist and lower body was what looked like a writhing mass of tails that twisted like she was standing in a bed of fire. The statue’s face was masked with a blank, featureless shield, and pointed, dagger-like horns (or ears?) rose high above her head. The Avatar couldn’t recognize what or who it was supposed to be at all.  _

_ Aang swallowed uncomfortably and turned away, walking to the rear of the hall, giving the praying figures and the statue a wide berth. There was still another door in the back.  _

_ The next area was even darker, and the only light was given off by the dim glow of luminescent stones affixed to the walls in regular intervals. Doors lined both sides of the hall, but a quick glance inside told Aang that these were living quarters of some kind, and beds filled them orderly. The much larger door at the end of the hall however, was locked with a key and heavy sliding bolt. Luckily for him, Aang could just step right through them.  _

_ But the moment he did, the young boy realized that this was the source of the feeling he was following, and despite being in his spirit form, Aang could practically feel how the temperature suddenly dropped. And he knew, without seeing it, that there was something in there with him. _

**You shouldn’t have come here, Avatar.**

_ Aang whirled around, but the room was so dark it was hard to tell who was speaking. But he felt their presence, and if he focused hard, the boy could see shadowy whipping shapes. Tails? Like the statue? Did it already know who he was?  _ ‘You’re a spirit, aren’t you?’  _ He called out to where the presence seemed to be,  _ ‘I...I felt the imbalance here. I can help if you let me.’ 

_ There was a...laugh. That was the closest Aang could describe the noise he heard then.  _

**You can’t help me, Avatar. You can’t provide the bridge I need. Your friends on the other hand… Hmm, they could help me a great deal…** _ The Avatar took a step back. He felt like he was being threatened. But why? They were strangers to each other, weren’t they? _

‘What do my friends have to do with this?’  _ Aang pressed, feeling very defensive.  _ ‘They aren’t involved in this at all. I came to talk to you by myself.’ __

**You brought them to my island, didn’t you? I suppose you’ll regret that soon enough.**

_ They...the spirit wanted the others, and now the threat was clearer than ever. He didn't really know what was going or why the Spirit had threatened him, but thoughts of wanting to help and performing Avatar duties quickly faded away.  _

_ Aang's voice went from imploring to defensive the moment that the others were brought up though.  _ 'What are planning to do? If you think you can hurt them–!'  _ His thoughts flew to Katara standing guard outside and alone, waiting for his word. To Sokka and Suki in town, working through their errand. Even the two still waiting back at the campsite–completely out of the loop; they could also be in danger. There was no certainty here.  _

**Do not interfere with my plans, boy.** _ The darkness hissed, and in its anger sounded more human than any moment before. But the next words it spoke were as cold as ice.  _ **I've killed you before, Avatar, and I will do it again if you dare to stand in my way.**

_ Aang threw his hands up in front of his face as a massive, unseen force smashed into him, hurling him violently through the door he entered from. A deep rumble sounded from within, an unspoken warning that he had to leave the building immediately. The boy didn't hesitate, fleeing as fast as he could to get back to Katara. If something happened to her while he was busy with the Spirit...he didn't know what he was going to do, but it wouldn't be pretty.  _

_ But...killed? One of his previous incarnations had fought this being, recognized it as an enemy to them, and died fighting it. Learning that was a harsh wake-up call that couldn’t be ignored. _

_ Aang was nervous, and wanted to know the history there.  _

_ But not now, not after that threat.  _

_ He made his way back to his body as fast as possible, wishing that his bending wasn't cut off like this so he could move faster. But by the time he made it back to Katara, he saw that she was already fighting someone. A group of young men were facing the girl down in the secluded grove outside the village where Aang had chosen to meditate. And the first thing he noticed about them was that they were all earthbenders, casting large stones that Katara dodged or batted aside. There was no time left to lose if there was already an attack.  _

_ Aang practically dived back into his body, coming back to the world of the living by jumping from the prone position his body was in. As soon as the Avatar awoke and found his footing again, he instantly shot a powerful gust of wind at the circle of attackers, forcing them to move away. He went to her side, stance ready to bend at a second’s notice, "Katara! Are you alright?"  _

_ "You're back!" The girl water-whipped a man trying to make his way closer, tossing him back. "I don't know what's going on, but they started attacking soon after you left. Please tell me you found something out there that made this all worth it." _

_ Aang's face fell, "I did find a Spirit, but it wasn't very friendly.” To say the least. But he didn’t have time to go into it yet, let alone everything the encounter made him feel beyond that. They dodged patrols to come to Bai-Jing, but even if the Fire Nation hadn’t found them like they had worried about at first, the island turned out not to be a safe harbor after all. “I think we should grab Sokka and Suki, and get back to camp before anything else happens."  _

_ Katara agreed, her determined expression shifted to anxiety for her brother. In her thoughts, even if she didn’t know the exact reason why she was attacked, if Bai-Jing was so hostile to outsiders, then he and Suki could be dealing with something similar at that very moment.  _

_ His usual bad feelings aside, Aang could bet that Sokka hadn't predicted a threat like this. _

_ Without further ado, the airbender summoned a whirling circle of wind around the two of them, bearing into the ground to kick up a dust cloud to make ready their escape. Just like wanted, sounds of frustration rose up from the aggressive benders as their sight was obscured. Katara jumped over as Aang called the earth to rise under his feet, forming a moving ledge of stone of stone to carry them away.  _

_ But as the two of them slipped away, making headway to the village, Aang couldn't help but worry. Ever since the Spirit had threatened him, the shadowy being had sparked some strange familiarity in him. As soon as they were back together and out of danger, he would have to try to contact his previous incarnations about it and find out if any of them remembered fighting–and losing–to a violent Spirit. It was the only way to set his anxieties to rest.  _

_ For now though, the priority was Sokka and Suki. Aang could only hope that they were managing alright so far. Maybe they’d escaped an attack entirely! _

_ They’d be reunited soon, and that Spirit wouldn’t be able to stop it.  _

 

* * *

* * *

 

“Go, run!” Sokka shouted, dodging a stone projectile aiming for his arm and ducking under another. He and Suki weaved in between shop stalls, counting on the lack of open space to make it difficult for the earthbenders to aim properly. 

The Kyoshi warrior simply leapt headlong over obstacles, while the young pulled his sword and sliced through them when he couldn’t avoid them, no longer respectful for public property in this situation. The two of them had to use every avoidance trick in the book for the number of pursuers chasing them without hesitation. And all the while dodging and diving, Sokka was trying to work out what exactly they had done to make the villagers so mad.

Because it wasn’t just a couple, or a group of benders chasing them. It was  _ everyone on the street.  _ Including the not-so-friendly food vendor who apparently didn’t want them as customers. 

Before the first attack, he could tell that something about the atmosphere felt off, but was not quite pinning down what the reason behind it (and villagers’ suspicious behavior) was. Sokka heard whispering back and forth, but never saw who exactly was doing it. Bystanders were outright staring at him and Suki instead of attending to their own business, but more or less ignored him when he tried to get their attention. Then someone had walked up to the shopkeeper and whispered something in his ear, causing him to chuckle. All of a sudden, the man’s sour behavior made a complete one-eighty from frustrated to satisfied.

He’d immediately stopped bothering to put a pretense on fulfilling Sokka’s food order, turning to the two warriors and set his hands on the table, “I’m afraid there’s been a change of plans. I’m actually not permitted to sell to outsiders at the moment. But, I’m sure the head priest would be willing to discuss the situation with you in person.” The man’s smile was wide and toothy.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sokka spotted Suki shaking her head just slightly, clearly catching on the same red flags he had. “That’s fine, I think we were just leaving anyway.”

“Oh, I  _ insist _ ,” The man hissed, and that’s about the moment that he started summoning rocks.

And now they were being chased through the streets, weaving and diving. They had a fright when more than rocks got sent their way in all of the confusion. Sokka had to stumble and backpedal with a yelp of surprise as the cloth-covered stall he had scrambled over suddenly burst into flames. A hard-eyed woman with a bun and a raised, smoking fist left no doubt as to where the attack had come from, and no one in the crowd paused their chase. They were earthbenders  _ and  _ firebenders! Working together with awful purpose, but still together.

Knowing that brought a strange, unsettled realization growing up in Sokka’s gut.

They got a brief respite when Suki managed to pull him into an alley and dodge out of sight, breathing hard. “Firebenders too? This just keeps getting better and better,” She huffed, keeping her voice down regardless. “I wish I knew what their with us problem is.”

“I...think I know,” The young man started, thinking of just  _ how many  _ benders were out there in one place, feeding his suspicions. Suki’s eyes flew to him, curious and insistent. “It’s us.”

“Well, I know they’re chasing us, Sokka…” She started, but he continued on.

“No, it’s  _ us.  _ You and me, specifically.” His voice was deeply serious, so Suki didn’t try to interrupt this time, but the confusion was clear on her face. Sokka tried to explain, “You remember before we entered the village, and we saw those two spheres? Remember how whenever a nonbender got too close to it, it would dim?” He paused, cursing himself for not questioning that further when it happened. He’d brushed it off as spirit stuff again, Aang’s expertise. 

The young woman swallowed, remembering how she’d admired when Katara had touched the stone and caused it to shine beautifully, and feeling disappointed when it didn’t do the same for her. It was upsetting in a vague and indescribable way, “You think the reason they’re chasing us is because we’re nonbenders, not necessarily because we’re outsiders?”

Sokka nodded stiffly, “I think someone  _ was  _ watching us before we came in, and that’s why they were staring us down from the beginning. And when Aang and Katara left, and it was just the two of us…” He shook his head, not wanting to think about that, strangers waiting like vultures for the nonbenders to be alone. “I think… this entire village is made up of benders.”

“T-that’s…” Suki trailed off. Impossible is what she wanted to say, but couldn’t finish the thought. 

Sure, being a bender was common enough in society, but never in her life had Suki heard of a village without a single nonbender, let alone one that was also as aggressive as this. So it was hard to believe. But at the same time, Sokka’s theory felt like it rang true in her mind. It made the addition of those...Soul Stones feel more dangerous, less like beautiful decoration and more like a form of security to know who comes and goes from town. If only they had seen who had been watching them from the beginning, maybe they wouldn’t have decided to separate.

Which still left the concern of, “What about the others? Do you think they’re safe from all this?”

“I don’t know,” Sokka admitted, and his sober tone wavered slightly. “They could be perfectly fine and completely unaware. Or the villagers could have tried to attack them too–to stop them from coming back and interfering with...whatever they’re trying to do here.”

Suki couldn’t respond. She knew Katara and Aang could defend themselves against something like this, and didn’t think the camp was in danger since no had seen them, but it still didn’t feel right. “We have to leave the village before figuring this out.”

Sokka nodded, they couldn’t delay there any longer.

But the pursuers weren’t going to let them anyway, as at that moment, and the choice (not that it was much of one) of fleeing was quickly taken out of their hands. Sokka stumbled to his feet and followed Suki as she dashed out of the alley, making a beeline for the village outskirts.

Unfortunately, the good luck and avoidance that they’d been having before couldn’t last forever, and things took a turn for the worse when the gates were in sight.

The nearby trees were gnarled with long, twisted branches like reaching fingers, lingering near the edge of Bai-Jing village. When the group had first seen them, they simply came off as creepy and weird, but nothing more to fret over. But now, the moment Suki tried to shoulder past them, the branches sprang to life, seizing her wrists and holding her in place as the girl struggled. “What?” Shocked and bewildered, she tried to pry off the grip, nails scratching against the rough bark. But the obstruction held strong, pushing her to the ground in response. 

Sokka started in surprise, but had to act fast, “Suki, I’m coming!” He readied his sword, prepared to slice off the offending tree limbs. In doing so, he left himself open to the stone shackle that went for him from behind, catching his sword hand and hurling him to the dirt, and partially embedding itself there to prevent him from rising. Despite the sword in his hand, he was immobile, and no matter how hard Sokka clawed at the ground, he couldn’t break free. 

Rendered helpless, the pair watched as the crowd of villagers caught up to them there, placing firm hands on their shoulders to suppress resistance even further. They could see now that the benders were led by a man in flowing white robes, coral gems strung around his neck and arms. Was this the head priest the shopkeeper had spoken of?

“Now, children,” He spoke, sounded far too satisfied and pleased with this result, “don’t be so quick to refuse our invitation.” He made some motions with his hands that resembled waterbending, and the branches entangling Suki dragged the girl upright and forced her hands behind her back, leaving behind makeshift bindings of plant matter as they pulled away. Sokka stared, remembering the time that he’d met a strange group of waterbenders living in a distant swamp who’d learned to bend the plants around them to their will. It was a power this man seemed to be proficient in, much to their misfortune. The fact that even a waterbender was allied against them made this all so much worse, foiling their escape at the last minute. 

Sokka was the next to be man-handled, his bindings replaced with ones just like Suki’s, his sword pried out of his hands and taken away despite his shouting, the villagers pulling them over to stand side by side. The ‘priest’ leered disturbingly at the sight before him, “Both youthful, healthy, and strong. The Luminous One will be pleased indeed with this offering.”

Then he turned away, indicating with a jerk of his hand for the crowd to begin moving. 

And in cue, the hands holding the two nonbenders tight began to pull them back into the village. Sokka didn’t stay silent, yelling for an explanation while trying to see who had grabbed his sword. Suki was quieter, tense and angry, her eyes fixed on the towering temple they were being taken to. The procession didn’t stop or slow down until they were at the great building towered above their heads, foreboding in some way.

The priest paused there thoughtfully, before gesturing to much of the unoccupied crowd, “Go make sure their friends won’t be problem. Nothing must interrupt this glorious day.”

“What’s so special about it?” Sokka snapped, only half-expecting to be answered.

But this time, he was. 

The white-robed man smiled again, raising a welcoming hand as though his ‘guests’ weren’t so obviously prisoners. “You should be honored, boy! Count yourself lucky to have been born distant and unfettered to the world across the veil. It gives you the opportunity to be part of something truly amazing. Most of us would have thrown ourselves into the pyre to perform this grand duty for out Lord, would that any of us could. But no, only the spirit-less will do.” That more or less confirmed what Sokka had been wondering about before. 

It was because they were nonbenders. That was the reason for all this. 

The man gestured to the dull shape of the moon, just starting to shine amidst the darkened evening skyline. His voice rose in devoted energy and fervor, “Tonight on the waning half-moon, our Lord will select one of you to serve as their Sacrifice of the flesh, bringing them back to the mortal realm after centuries of isolation.” Then he sneered, an unsettling look appearing on his face that made the two warriors’ skin crawl, “The other shall be our Witness, spreading the Great One’s word, and living among us in any capacity deemed necessary.”

The doors of the massive temple were drawn open, a deep darkness from within yawned out those gathered before it. It was like the maw of some beast, waiting to swallow them whole.

“At last, after so many years of waiting, we will finally be able to truly serve them…” The priest murmured in awe, ignoring the struggling of his charges as the teens were forced inside. They would need to allow for a few hours to prepare the offerings, purify them and bring out the sacrificial garb… 

But after so long, that was only a short time away. 

And then, the Spirit would be free, ready to take their rightful place in the mortal realm.

 


End file.
